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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #37396
Title: PATHOLOGIC CHARACTERIZATION OF BROWN NORWAY, BROWN NORWAY X FISCHER 344, AND FISCHER 344 X BROWN NORWAY RATS WITH RELATION TO AGE

Author
item LIPMAN RUTH D - TUFTS-HNRCA
item CHRISP CLARENCE - UNIV OF MICHIGAN
item HAZZARD DEWITT G - NIA
item BRONSON RODERICK - TUFTS-HNRCA

Submitted to: Journals of Gerontology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The rat is an animal often used for the study of aging. When studying aging, it is important to be able to distinguish between changes associated with increased incidence of disease. Several of the common strains of laboratory rats are prone to specific diseases. In this paper, we document the relative disease-free status of several strains of rats that are available to researchers but are currently under-utilized. Publication of this information should demonstrate the benefits of using these strains of rats for age-related investigations.

Technical Abstract: The rat is a common laboratory animal utilized in a variety of investigations including experimental gerontology. Gerontologic investigations can be compromised when the differences observed when comparing young and old animals are actually differences between normal and disease states. It is of critical interest to know the pathology of the animals being studied and understand the impact of these disease processes on the parameters being measured. The incidence and average age of occurrence for lesions have been characterized and are reported here for one inbred (Brown Norway) and two hybrid strains (Brown Norway x Fischer 344 and Fischer 344 x Brown Norway) of rat. Total lesion incidence functions as a biomarker of aging for all of the strains examined (P